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Farrington, Ken
Ken Farrington ---- Real name: Kenneth William Farrington Born:' 18 April 1936, Dulwich, South London' Married:' Patricia Heneghan (divorced 1981)' Children:#James #Mark #Theresa #Sally Ann Contact: c/o Scott Marshall Played: Billy Walker (21 January 1961 - 5 December 1984) At school Ken loved football and his coach was also the drama teacher who talked him into taking part in a school play. Ken made his stage debut at the age of eight and admits that he was so nervous that he forgot almost all his lines. He later won a scholarship to Alleyn's School where he gained 9 O-levels and 2 A-levels. He also became a founder member of the National Youth Theatre. Ken did his national service as a second lieutenant with the Royal Artillery before gaining a place at RADA. During his three year diploma he supported himself by working as a hospital porter and a theatre dresser. Soon after his graduation Ken auditioned for the role of Dennis Tanner in Coronation Street. The part went to actor Philip Lowrie; however, he sufficiently impressed that a role was created specifically for him and he was brought back in January 1961 as Annie and Jack Walker's son Billy. Ken stayed as Billy for 18 months but was to continue to appear in the series until 1984, completing 408 episodes. His career has been full and has included many theatre productions including This Story of Yours, The Little Hut, After Haggerty, Alfie, Blithe Spirit, The Lion In Winter, The Front Page, Saturday Sunday Monday, Getting On, Dead On Nine, Waiting for Godot, Norman Conquests, This Story of Yours, Night and Day, Death Trap, Come On Stan, No Man's Land, The Cherry Orchard, Ghosts, Run For Your Wife, Over The Bar, Death of a Salesman, Manchester, Educating Rita and Much Ado About Nothing. He has appeared at the National Theatre and with the Royal Shakespeare Company as well as doing tours of India and England. Ken has worked in several films including Party Party, Lime Street, The Knack, Beauty Jungle and One Way Pendulum. Although Coronation Street was his television debut, he has rarely been off our television screens in the last thirty five years with performances in The Tomorrow People, Crown Court, General Hospital, Z Cars, Love Story, Softly Softly, Danger UXB, Tycoon, The Avengers, The Saint, Redcap, Armchair Thriller, Bookstand, New Girl In Town, The Union, Whistling Wally, Juliet Bravo, A Married Man, A Killing On The Exchange, Minder, Valentine Park, Hannay, Boon, The Chief, All Creatures Great and Small, Trainer, Grange Hill, The Bill, Heartbeat and Space Precinct. In 1997 he returned to regular television as one of the original cast of Channel 5's soap Family Affairs, playing unfaithful husband Jack Gates. Ken was married to actress Patricia Heneghan for twenty years before their divorce in 1981 and he is now living with actress Sandra Dixon in Surrey. Ken has four children James, Mark, Theresa and Sally Ann. TV credits include: When the Party Ended, The Splendid Spur, An Age of Kings, Bookstand, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, This Hapy Breed, Undercover Cat, The Avengers, Moonstrike, the Odd Man, Man of the World, The White Hot Coal, Nice Break For The Boys, The Villains, Love Story, It's A Woman's World, Love O'Women, Kipling, Redcap, Armchair Theatre, The Last Reunion, The Joe Baker Show, Z Cars, Softly Softly, The Whole Truth, The Revenue Men, The Troubleshooters, The Gamblers, The Expert, Detective, The Saint, Sanctuary, The Borderers, Parkin's Patch, Play for Today, The Prime Minister's Daughter, Crime Buster, Boy Meets Girl, The Tomorrow people, Crown Court, General Hospital, Danger UXB, Tycoon, New Girl in Town, The Union, Whistling Wally, Juliet Bravo, A Married Man, A Killing on the Exchange, Valentine Park, Hannay, Minder, The Bill, The Chief, All Creatures Great and Small, Trainer, Boon, Grange Hill, Heartbeat, Casualty, Space Precinct. Farrington, Ken Farrington, Ken Farrington, Ken Farrington, Ken